Parappaang-ka’ndal, Paraapa-mulla

பரப்பாங்கண்டல்,பராப்பமுல்லParappāṅkaṇṭal, Parāpa-mulla

Parappaan+ka'ndalParaapa+mulla

The mangrove of the flood plains
The flood-plains corner

Parappu

(noun) Expanse, space, sea, bed (Tamil, DED 3949); River plain, expanse of water (Tamil, Changkam Diction; Ku’runthokai 100:1; Natti’nai 382:7; Pu’ranaanoo’ru 204:5); Parappu: (verb, from the root Para) To spread, diffuse, expand (Tamil, DED 3949); Parappu-nilam: Vacant land not classified or not coming under cultivation (Tamil inscriptional usage, 1086 CE, SII VII 1032); Paraappa: Place from which water has retired (Sinhala); Parappu, Parappaan: Flood plains in the dry zone that get inundated with rainwater or river water during the wet months and become plains with scanty vegetation for most part of the year (Eezham Tamil usage in the place names. Note the ‘An’ suffix peculiar to Eezham Tamil); Parappu is also a measure of land in the Jaffna dialect of Eezham Tamil

The word Parappu as a noun in Tamil generally means an expanse, space, spread etc. In this sense, Parappu and a related word Paravai also mean the sea.

In the Jaffna dialect of Eezham Tamil, Parappu has an additional meaning, i.e., a measure of land, usually residential, habitable or cultivable. In the Chola inscriptions, vacant and unclassified land was called Parappu-nilam.

Right from its earliest usages found in the Changkam literature to present day usage examples such as Ve’l’lap-parappu (expanse of flood water), Ve’l’lam Paravuthal (sheet of floodwater spreading) etc., the word Parappu is also associated with expanse of water on land, whether floods, river or sea.

The word Parappu is often found used in the context of flood plains in the Eezham Tamil place names, especially in the Mannaar district.

The Mannaar district, which is largely a flat landscape in the arid zone, has a number of flood plains that are inundated during the brief rainy season and become a dry expanse with scanty vegetation or an expanse of mangrove during most part of the year.

In the usage such as Parappaan (Parappu-aan) in the place name, Parappaan-ka’ndal, note the addition of the singular masculine ‘An’ suffix to landscape, which is a common feature in Eezham Tamil place names. Note the other examples, Veddai > Vedduvaan (expanse), Kaddu > Kadduvan (bund) etc., that are discussed in the other columns.

Interestingly, the Sinhala vocabulary has a cognate Paraapa in its diction, which means a place from which water has retired. The Sinhala place name Paraapa-mulla is an example for the use of the word in the Sinhala place names. There is also a recently Sinhalicised place name Parapaan-mulla in the Chilaw (Chilaapam) district of Puththa’lam district.

Parappu in Changkam Tamil literature meaning flood plains or river basin from where water has receded:

“Aruvip parappin aivanam viththi…”

“அருவிப் பரப்பின் ஐவனம் வித்தி...” (குறுந்தொகை)

Cultivating paddy in the flood plains or basin of the river (Ku’runthokai 100:1)

Parappu meaning sheet of water in Changkam Tamil literature:

“Parappu neerth tha’n’nam thu’raivan…”

““பரப்பு நீர்த் தண்ணம் துறைவன்…” (நற்றிணை 382:7)

The man of the cool coastal tract of the expanse of water (Natti’nai 382:7)

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Ka’ndal in Tamil is a word of Dravidian etymology (DED 1171), meaning a variety of mangrove (see table).

The cognate Kadol in Sinhala means a particular variety of mangrove.

In the Eezham Tamil usage of Mannaar district the word Ka’ndal also stands for a landscape where mangrove vegetation is found.